Paper Dragon
by morningstar2
Summary: A short, angsty Kaiba story. It deals with a pivotal moment in Seto's past.


Okay, this was written to hold you all over until I get my next chapter of 'Into the Night' posted. That will be soon, I promise. As always, I own nothing, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!  
  
Paper Dragon  
  
Seto tensed when his stepfather entered the room, but kept his attention fixed firmly on his schoolwork. Gozaburo rarely came to check on his progress, and never without a reason. As the older man's eyes locked onto Seto's profile, Seto did his best not to fidget. He had no idea what brought Gozaburo to his study room, but he guessed it wasn't good. As the looming presence remained, he wished Gozaburo would speak already, though he knew better than to make the first move. Pushing the foreboding feeling growing inside, he did his best to ignore the stare and finish the next math problem. It was no use. The young boy's mind raced with possible discretions Gozaburo might be here to punish him for.  
  
"Your concentration is dismal, Seto. Or is it that the math is too hard for you?" Gozaburo finally said. He had made the first move. Seto wondered if this was a victory. If it was, it didn't feel good.  
  
"It's not too hard." Seto quickly wrote down the answer. 'Why is he stalling? I know he's here to punish me for something! What's he waiting for?' Seto wondered. He was feeling a nauseous impatience, as a criminal awaiting a verdict: expecting the worst, yet eager for it to be done with. 'What can he do, anyway? He's already taken my weekends... my free time... my time with Mokuba..."  
  
"Close the textbook, Seto, and look at me."  
  
Seto obediently complied.  
  
"I asked Gansly to retrieve your toys. I was going to reward you for your improved studies. But it seems your cards- Duel Monsters, is it? – were misplaced. Did you take them, Seto?"  
  
Seto stared up at Gozaburo and answered honestly. "No, sir."  
  
Gozaburo blinked, a slow smile playing at his lips. "Hmmm. You seem to be telling the truth. But I don't know who else would take them... from what I know, your deck is next to worthless." He stepped over to Seto's side, placing a heavy hand on Seto's shoulder. The young boy held perfectly still. "You're the only one in my house with a motive. Unless..." his smile came out in full force. "Unless it was your brother who took it."  
  
He glanced at his foster son. Seto's face gave nothing away, so he turned to Gansly. "Go ask Mokuba about the missing deck. If he's uncooperative, bring him in here. I can 'convince' him to be truthful."  
  
Seto's heart skipped a beat, the full meaning of his guardian's words making him sick. "It was I. I took my cards back." His voice was mechanic, hiding the fear beneath.  
  
Gozaburo raised a mocking eyebrow at the boy's complete one-eighty, totally unsurprised. His fingers dug into Seto's thin shoulder. "I took those useless toys for a reason. If you are ever going to run Kaiba Corp, you can't remain a spoiled child. You can't expect life to be fun and games." His fingers tightened. "You must commit yourself to the company, or you will end up a failure, worthless to your family. I set down my rules to guide you, to help you become your best. But if you are disobeying them, there must be a problem. Tell me... do you think you know better than me how to raise a businessman?"  
  
"No sir." Just as Seto's eyes began to water from the painful grip, Gozaburo let go. His voice became icy.  
  
"Go get your card deck, now."  
  
Seto didn't even need to stand. Mutely, he reached for his stack of textbooks, pulling out a thick history volume from the bottom. Ever since Mokuba had snuck him his cards, Seto hadn't let them out of his sight. He mostly kept them in their original hiding place- a hollowed-out textbook Mokuba had created- because he was afraid they would be discovered if in his pockets. While carrying 'A History of the Roman Empire' everywhere he went might have been a problem for most kids, this sadly was not Seto's case. His tutors seemed determined to bestow upon him every textbook ever printed. Lugging twice his weight in study texts was a common occurrence for him.  
  
Opening the hollow book, Seto lifted his deck delicately and offered the cards to his stepfather. It felt like betrayal, losing what Mokuba had carefully obtained for his brother. Gozaburo took the meager deck and motioned Seto to stand. The boy watched warily as his stepfather flipped through the cards.  
  
Gozaburo selected a single card and held it out to his foster son. "Take this."  
  
Confused, Seto accepted the card. It was his Polymerization.  
  
"Shred it."  
  
"What?!" His eyes went wide.  
  
"Shred it. Tear it to pieces, Seto." Gozaburo's voice was calm and quiet, sending shivers up his spine. He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "No," he said.  
  
As if the word was a trigger, Gozaburo's hand shot out, clamping hard onto Seto's shoulder and forcing him to his knees. Gozaburo stepped behind him, and Seto could hear the rustle of cloth. He knew what was coming next. Within seconds, Gozaburo's belt came down across Seto's back, leaving a burning trail. "Need I remind you that you and your brother are in my house, eating my food, wearing my clothes..." He cracked the leather belt against Seto's skin a second time. Tears welled up in the boy's eyes. "Are you so arrogant that you would rather have me tossing you and your brother onto the street than follow my rules? Is that game in your hand more important than the welfare of Mokuba?"  
  
The tears spilled over. He shook his head.  
  
"I'm glad you feel that way. Rip the card."  
  
The thick paper had been made to endure, and Seto's small fingers struggled to pull it apart. Once he managed to knick the card, however, it tore easily. He stared at the two halves of his card, an unfamiliar numbness filling his heart.  
  
"Again."  
  
Seto ripped the card again and again, the little pieces of paper fluttering to the floor. When the card was completely demolished, he felt the pain of another blow. Gozaburo leaned forward and handed Seto the next card.  
  
Between blows, Seto shredded his entire deck. Although tears streamed down his face, an empty feeling of indifference was growing inside him. He gazed down through the blur of his tears at his hands. He couldn't see anything but the confetti he was creating from his greatest passion. He barely noticed when the belting stopped.  
  
"I suppose you will want to know why I did this, Seto. The deck was inconsequential, as was your affinity to this particular game. But I will not risk anything in the education of my heir. The smallest thing can fester into a sever disability in your career: never leave an obstacle undestroyed."  
  
Seto continued to stare. It was the culmination of countless hours at the orphanage he had just destroyed. Hours working odd jobs to buy a couple cards... hours gambling with the other children to win a few more... and suddenly he didn't care. It was his past he was staring at, and the past never mattered. He could never go back to the frivolous nature of childhood. It just wasn't possible.  
  
Gozaburo watched with interest as Seto gathered the shreds of his deck and stood stiffly, pain apparent on his face. His foster son walked to the open window and dropped the pieces of his deck onto the wind. Gozaburo smiled.  
  
*~*~*  
  
A hand was tugging on Seto's sleeve. The tall brunette turned and was confronted with Yugi's hurt and angry face. Yugi's eyes were wet and his voice thick with emotion.  
  
"I asked you why, Kaiba. Why did you rip my grandfather's Blue Eyes?"  
  
Seto turned away again, dismissing Yugi's pain. "Never leave an obstacle undestroyed," he whispered. 


End file.
